Soviet A gift of pogonis etc.

[Riley1965]

I received these shoulderboards, collar tabs, etc. as a gift from a friend. I don't have access to my branch insignia book. Would someone please help me identify the branch. Many Thanks!!!

Doc

[Gerd Becker]

Branch is Navy, Rank is Matros (Private). No idea, what the "ПВ" stands for... Its not connected to a Fleet, i think.

[Christian Zulus]

Branch is Navy, Rank is Matros (Private). No idea, what the "ПВ" stands for... Its not connected to a Fleet, i think.

Dear Doc,

dear Gerd,

I am not sure, if there is any connection to the Navy, because - as Gerd stated - there is no connection to a Fleet, which has to have a cyrillic "F" at the end.

O.K., what do we see:

- the sign of Motorized Infantry

- colour black

- rank: Private or Seaman

- the letters "PW" in cyrillic

- and the stripes for second year of studies.

Maybe a mixture of Tank Forces & Infantry ?

Best regards

Christian

[Nack]

Well, the stuff looks green to me. I would therefore tell you that these are KGB frontier troops insignia.

[Riley1965]

Guys,

They are Green. So...KGB Frontier troops?

Doc

Edited January 19, 2007 by Riley1965

[Nack]

Yup, frontier troops, or boarder guards as we might say. Like this....

[Gerd Becker]

Very interesting. Thanks, Nack. I didn?t know, Border Guards did use these shoulderboards too. I only have the East German "Milit?rlexikon" for this kind of information, but its obviously incomplete.

Gerd

[Nack]

No problem. Glad to know something and be able to share

[RichieC]

Right on...

Just to add that they belonged to a soldier of the second year of service, pre-1972 pattern.

[Nack]

Right on...

Just to add that they belonged to a soldier of the second year of service, pre-1972 pattern.

Pre-1972 because the letters are gilt, not silk screened onto the boards?

[Riley1965]

Guys,

Thanks for the identification!!!

Doc

[Guest RedThreat]

Just to add that they belonged to a soldier of the second year of service, pre-1972 pattern.

In the 1980's, cadets wore yellow stripes below sleeve insignia. Stripes in your set would be worn by 2nd year cadet. Illustration can be seen:

http://armor.kiev.ua/army/forma/SA-884.shtml

Cheers,

Simon

[RichieC]

Thanks for the correction(s) men... I am still a bit green concerning later regulation, and should not post info that I receive "second-hand" without doing the research myself... I admit that I was trying to sound like a "know it all". Really...

In any case, where can one find online or printed reference about late 50s > regulation? I have one or two pieces myself that sit moth-balled in a closet and are of no consequence to my collection or my intellectual pursuits by being there

Edited January 19, 2007 by RichieC

[RichieC]

Just for the sake of the thread, here is another's take on your set-up Doc (I will leave translation up to you):

если исходить из того, что это комплект на одного человека, то сказать можно следующее:

1. нашивки по годам службы в КГБ устанорвлены 8.07.1974 г.

2. Отменены они 27.11.1982 г.

3. Металлические буквы официально отменены в 1980 г.

И при датировке необходимо иметь в виду то, что солдаты, при увольнении в запас, годички нашивали еще года 2-3 после их отмены. А буквы дембеля использовали до конца 80-х гг.

[Guest RedThreat]

Richie:

I sounded like "know it all" myself. Thank you for your posts. I didn't know that KGB had "years of service" stripes. These stripes could have existed.

Doc:

Do you know if this set comes from one uniform?

Simon

[Riley1965]

Richie:

I sounded like "know it all" myself. Thank you for your posts. I didn't know that KGB had "years of service" stripes. These stripes could have existed.

Doc:

Do you know if this set comes from one uniform?

Simon

Simon,

I would assume so as I know who they came from. The shoulderboards are slightly dembeled. They added the mettalic letters.

Best,

Doc

Edited January 21, 2007 by Riley1965

[Nack]

Simon,

I would assume so as I know who they came from. The shoulderboards are slightly dembeled. They added the mettalic letters.

Best,

Doc

Well, this is also a subject of debtate. There are some who say that metallic letters were standard (i.e. non-dembel) at some point. There's some discussion back home at the SAF. I can't remember what we concluded over there, if we had a concluson, as the bud light has robbed me of my memory at present....

Edited January 21, 2007 by Nack

[Guest RedThreat]

Nack:

The conclusion at SA forum was that metal letters were official. I presented my father's boards from 1974 and the website which I quoted again in this thread as an evidence. Other forum member found a page in regulations to confirm my suggestion. In Richie's post, it says that metal letters were officially abolished in 1980 but some dembels continued to wear them until late 1980's.

Doc:

If all the insignia you posted on this thread was stripped from a single uniform, I am puzzled. I have been obsessed over Soviet uniforms all my life and have never seen "years of service" insignia for ground troops. If it existed, it would be interesting to see what stripes were worn for 5 or 10 years of service.

These stripes look like they could be Jr. Sgt. rank insignia. Does anybody know how sergeant's stripes were attached to boards? Were they sawn on or glued?

Cheers,

Simon

[Riley1965]

Nack,

GREAT to see you over here my friend!!! WELCOME!!! The stripes on enlisted pogons are different and wrap around the pogon. I'm not sure if they are glued or stiched as the only enlisted set I have are velvet covered dembel.

Doc

[Nack]

Thanks Doc

I have to admit that I associated the bars with officer cadets too. I've got a stack of them somewhere -- all different colors and numbers of bars. I checked my M69 EM tunics and about 1/2 the dembels have a 2-bar patch of some sort on the sleeve, but the other dont. The 2 standard (i.e non-dembel) tunics I have don't have stripes.

[Riley1965]

Nack,

I, too, Thought that they were Cadet stripes

Doc